At a basic level, a typical wireless optical telecommunication system comprises an optical transmitter and an optical receiver, with associated electronics to modulate and demodulate data on a light beam. Often, receivers are basically telescopes, while transmitters sometimes comprise units that are located separately from the receiver.
These optical transmitter and receiver units may have many parts, thereby contributing to the overall size or “footprint” of the units. The individual parts themselves may also have a large footprint. This increased footprint can be detrimental in situations where the units need to be installed in a non-obtrusive manner. The increased footprint can also disadvantageously limit the amount of available space, within the housing of the transmitter or receiver units, in which to fit the various parts or components.
These optical transmitter and receiver units can also be difficult to align properly during installation and during use. Furthermore, the various optics and components of typical optical transmitters and optical receivers are heavy, fragile, bulky, and difficult to manufacture with consistent quality, and are often expensive. Because optical communications systems are capable of much higher data rates than traditional radio frequency (RF) systems, the ability to make stable and inexpensive systems is becoming more and more desirable.